The East Leicestershire Hoards (Iron Age and Roman)

Project leader: J.D. Hill

Department: Prehistory and Europe

Project start: 2000
End date: tbc

Other British Museum staff: Marilyn Hockey, Ian Leins

Other departments: Conservation and Scientific Research

External partners:
University of Leicester Archaeological Services:
http://www.le.ac.uk/ulas/
Contact: Vicki Score, Project Officer: vp23@leicester.ac.uk

Leicestershire County Council
http://www.leics.gov.uk/harborough_treasure.htm
Contact: Peter Liddle, Community Archaeologist: pliddle@leics.gov.uk

Project funded by:
English Heritage
University of Leicester Archaeological Services
The British Museum
BBC

Description:

The East Leicestershire hoard site was discovered in 2000 by an amateur archaeologist. Excavation of the site has revealed an open air ritual site and produced the largest number of Iron Age coins ever recovered under controlled circumstances in the UK (5292). The site has been excavated by the University of Leicester Archaeological Unit and the Leicestershire County Council Community Archaeology Project.

One of the most interesting finds from the site is a Roman iron helmet covered with gilded silver decoration. This helmet was lifted as a block, complete with its soil, and its true nature only revealed as the delicate object has been carefully excavated by Marilyn Hockey at the British Museum. The helmet is a unique object and seems to date to the early first century AD.

The most significant feature of the site, however, is the information that can be gained from the chance to study individual hoards and deposits in their original archaeological context. More than 16 different coin deposits, mainly buried in the years immediately after the Roman invasion of AD 43, can be identified, compared and related to other activities at the site.

Objectives:

The Coins from the site have been identified, catalogued and studied by Ian Leins. During 2007 the first major publication on this coin assemblage will appear in the British Numismatic Journal.

A more general discussion of the site, by J.D. Hill, Vicki Score and Ian Leins will be published later in the year.

At present various bids have been made, including to the Heritage Lottery Fund, to pay for the acquisition of the entire finds assemblage and to fund the completion of the conservation of the helmet. It is hoped that it will all be acquired by Leicestershire County Council and displayed locally.

Publications:

I. Leins, ‘East Leicestershire: Coinage, ritual and society in the Iron Age East Midlands’ in British Numismatic Journal, 77 (forthcoming, 2007)

J.D. Hill, V. Score, I. Leins, ‘Community, Politics and Sacrifice: The East Leicestershire hoard’ in British Archaeology,  89, pp. 34-9

V. Score, ‘Rituals, hoards and helmets: a ceremonial meeting place of the Corieltavi’, in Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, 80, pp. 197–207

V. Priest, P. Clay, J.D. Hill, ‘Iron Age gold from Leicestershire’, in Current Archaeology, 188, pp.358–60

J.H.C. Williams, The coins and the helmet, in Current Archaeology,188, pp. 361–62